Do you share my opinion that, of all household "dirtinesses", kitchen and food dirt is the hardest to remove... and keeping a clean kitchen is a never-ending, time-consuming chore?

Household dirt-- like dust , hairs, dust bunnies, fingerprints, et.al.--- are a BREEZE compared to kitchen dirt! Especially if you work with meat, oils, eggs, sugar and dairy products.

I have to scrub with all my manly vigor (and I used to be a bodybuilder) to remove meat char, grease, dried egg, jelly, cheese, peanut butter, ice cream, grease of all kinds. From dishes, pots, skillets, casseroles, bowls, forks, spoons, burners, stovetop, counters, the floor, the ceiling, the wooden cupboards, the stove air vent....

Not to mention any spillages that occur inside your refrigerator and freezer!!

I have hired a maid to come the first day of every month... But only 12 days later, my kitchen is a grease-coated, food-flecked filthy freaking pigsty.

Then after you clean it--- your cleaning utensils (sponges, brushes, kitchen sink) are filthy and greasy. It never ENDS!

I can't help but think that seasoned cooks, mothers and housewives know of tricks to avoid and/or minimize kitchen filthiness.

The upshot of all this is, I LOATHE cooking and don't eat nearly as well as I could or should.

Your "hints from heloise" gratefully appreciated!

You wipe things up as you go along. Don't give things like egg a chance to get solid. Let chemicals and water dissolve the gunk and do most of the work for you. Wipe down your counters before you sweep. And you should sweep your kitchen every night. If something is spilled on the floor or inside the fridge, wipe it up before it gets sticky and stuck and attracts more dirt. Once in a while take the vacuum hose to the baseboards around the kitchen.

Cooking: I prep the food earlier in the day, so that most of the work is done and the kitchen is clean when I am ready to cook. Plus it is less stressful. For example, I just put noodles into boiling water that had bouillion in it. This morning I made the noodle dough and cooked chicken in the crockpot. This afternoon, I rolled out the dough and cut it, and started a loaf of bread into the bread machine.
Then I went to town. When I got home, I cleaned the kitchen, washed dishes, and defatted the chicken. I threw the noodles and chicken into the boiling water just now and my kitchen is clean. I took care of my chickens, put clothes on the clothesline, helped my son with his bath, and took a shower while I waited for my large pot of water to boil. I have learned to do many things at one time. Hope this helps.

My secret is to wipe up spills immediately. I also use Clorox Clean Up spray for my counter tops, which are white. You have to sweep the kitchen daily. I clean out my microwave as needed. I load the dishwasher with any breakfast, lunch or dinner dishes and turn it on when it is full. I also wash, rinse and dry my dishes on the hottest setting because it sterilizes them (I hardly ever have a cold, never had the flu). I spray my stainless steel sink with the Clorox Clean Up and let it sit and it makes the steel sparkle, then wipe it with a paper towel. I am not yet green, so I clean everything with paper towels because I like the fact that they can be thrown away. I use the spray on oven cleaner and then the cleaning cycle on the stove as needed. I take out my trays beneath my electric burners and put them in the dishwasher to clean as needed.

I am with Rebbecca and Chardkay, I wipe up as I go. Or I at least try to. Dave, do you keep your utensils out? If so, put them in a drawer. I for one can't stand utensils out on a counter with dust and grease accumulating on them!
OH, and a biggie.... less is more on your counter top! The less you have, the easier it is to clean it!

I find that the Windex vinegar multi surface works great at cutting grease!

For me the kitchen is a breeze: wipe up things right away, and at least a quick scrape/rinse of anything you won't be washing right away.

My most d***ed difficult household stuff? Dusting. I hate dusting. Why bother? That new layer of dust on top of the older dust is nice and clean anyway. And it's always there. And it's in every d***ed room of the house. It doesn't even have the decency to confine itself to one room. The impudence!

Vacuuming? No problem. I love my Dyson animal.

Laundry? No problem. Soap + water + push a button = wash day bliss

Cleaning the bathroom? I don't like it because it's a lot of work (tile floors, tile walls, fiberglass tub, pedestal sink, mirrors, towel racks, shelves, yeesh!). But it's one place I hate having dirty.

I agree with all of the above.... clean as you go, becomes automatic.

The other alternative (semi-joking here) is 'have you heard of the raw food movement?
But seriously, simple preparation is all's thats needed when you use fresh (locally grown/made is always good)
produce, meat, dairy. Well, during the hot months anyway. And you know, the Mediterranean diet .... the rest of the year ! ;-)

whole grains, vegges, olives, ......... And there's always the method of doing most of the prep/cooking one or two days and freezing portions for the rest of the week/fortnight, whatever.

Hoos, I terribly agree re the dusting .... esp when you live in the country, like I do, and rely on open windows/doors and not A/C ;-)

Just clarifying that "all of the above..." means all previous five/six posters/posts. All brilliant ;-)

So Dave, you're married to my husband, too?

Haha... I take it he is not renowned for his homemaking skills?

- A big ol' ditto.

- wipe spills immediately
- let everything soak
- dishes and counters and sink and stovetop once a night
- do not use the oven; alternately, do not let anything ever drip or spit in there
- minimal stuff in fridge so can see everything and eat everything and it always stays clean
- make a big production out of cleaning those liner catchers under the burners, or replace them

I almost never cook with meat at home and have sympathy for those who do with the grease and elbow grease and products. Dunno why, but kitchen cleaning is the one kind I do regularly and gladly. It sets things right and they are set to go for a most important necessity of life; makes a nice routine and cap on the day, helps planning in the head. Great accoustics and line of sight between tv and kitchen. For the absurd commercial from a while back featuring a hen and rooster talking about how hard it is to get ... cooked eggs off a pan.

Cooking: I prep the food earlier in the day, so that most of the work is done and the kitchen is clean when I am ready to cook. Plus it is less stressful. For example, I just put noodles into boiling water that had bouillion in it. This morning I made the noodle dough and cooked chicken in the crockpot. This afternoon, I rolled out the dough and cut it, and started a loaf of bread into the bread machine.
Then I went to town. When I got home, I cleaned the kitchen, washed dishes, and defatted the chicken. I threw the noodles and chicken into the boiling water just now and my kitchen is clean. I took care of my chickens, put clothes on the clothesline, helped my son with his bath, and took a shower while I waited for my large pot of water to boil. I have learned to do many things at one time. Hope this helps.
[/quote]


'Bekah~~

You sound like a domestic goddess .... ;-) (that's not a pejorative aka Rosie ODonnell)

I'm another one who cleans and scrubs as I go along.

I feel your pain, Dave. If I only had a magic wand...

I do not use kitchen sponges for wiping tables, counters, appliances, etc. Instead, I have a generous supply of kitchen washcloths. I change them probably twice a day. The damp, dirty ones, I hang over the edge of a very small plastic clothes basket-type thing then launder them.

An excellent primer on household management is:

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Scienc...6729&sr=8-1

Hope that helps

I've learned to wipe/rinse as I go, so that even though things haven't been actually CLEANED with soap, the worst of the residue has been dealt with before it dries on. That way I can keep the 'dirty' stuff piled to the side of the sink, not piled into the sink in a disgusting mess.

I usually use one container to hold the spoons, forks, utensils, etc., that always manage to accumulate during the day. That way, when I'm cleaning up the whole day's worth of dirty stuff, I can usually just load most of it into the dishwasher without much fuss. If I'm feeling really organized, I try to unload the dishwasher's clean dishes right away, and load the rinsed stuff into it across the day as I go, but that doesn't always happen.

As for cleaning counter tops, if things get really dried on, cover the area with a kitchen towel or wash cloth and pour some hot water on it, enough to puddle, and just let it soak a while covered with the sopping wet towel. (I tend to use water from my kettle, but plain old hot water from the tap should work okay too.) After a while, check the stuck on stuff, and usually it's softened enough to clean away. A straight edged razor blade works well to scrape, but go easy.

Oh, thank you, Sofia; it looks good written down, but I am really not a great housekeeper.
I like to cook, garden, can, and raise chickens, but growing up, if we had not done these things, we would have had nothing to eat.
Sometimes I have a bad habit of pulling things out of the closets and drawers, etc., all at once, thinking that I am going to clean and organize them, then I run out of energy and they sit there undone. I really hate folding and putting away laundry. Right now it is in piles on the couch and love seat. I know that I should do it as it needs done, until saving it until my husband complains, LOL.
My bathrooms need cleaning, too.

Dave, I think a crock pot would be a good investment. It will come with a little book of recipes, and as you become comfortable with it, you can adapt your own recipes to it.

LOVE to cook. Make a huge mess!! Most good cooks do. I am forever wiping up but.........sometimes I put it off till very late at night. I hate it.

Well, then, where should I spit?

LOL If you must spit, spit in the microwave, crock pot, bread machine, or even in the deep fryer, but NEVER in the oven!

That reply is priceless!

Thank you for the laugh Rebecca.

Hmm. The crock pot does resemble a spittoon . . . .

That looks like a nice book. I swear by: Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook

I am so "all over" this book, Izzy, and will buy it... thank you!

When I am scrubbing a dried-on food glop on a bowl or pot, my mind starts to think: "And I'm putting this glue inside my system??"

I just have to say that I want to go over to Becca's house.

I totally agree with everyone who said that you have to clean as you go. I have cleaning people come very two weeks, but I have to clean every day just the same. Plus, I clean before they come over and I clean after they leave! They do the big stuff (I never dust anymore, thank God, and I don't scrub toilets and showers anymore either) but I still keep Lysol Wipes in the bathroom and kitchen to wipe the sink and other surfaces. (I am known for Lysol Wipes. I buy them in bulk with coupons when they're on sale and I keep them in my classroom, too. I put the kids to work wiping down desks about once a week!)

My most important motto: "Life is an endless battle against entropy."

*sigh* I could not agree more with everyone who has problems with kitchen cleanliness.

I'm right now at my SO's place (we don't live together) and he has an additional problem in his kitchen because he lives in a house. Mice! They tend to come in at this time of the year when it is getting colder. Once we found a nice pile of cat food stashed in the corner of the cabinet under the sink! Since then they've found another place to hide the dry cat food: under the dishwashing machine! You would not believe how much they had carried down there - now the kitchen smells so bad that there must be a dead mouse in the mouse trap. Blech! Eeww! Well have to take the dishwashing machine once again out and clean the damn thing. Dis-gus-ting!

Thanks, diva, I'll put another put of noodles and loaf of bread on for you! Excuse the mess, LOL

'Deeve, how's this for decadent: When my cleaning lady vacuums, I'll sit and read, and when she comes by, lift my legs.





Lord have mercy on the single man who was raised in the Southern patriarchy.

I just thought I'd mention that after years of deprivation, I bought a box of Tuffy scrubbers from Amazon, and since then kitchen cleanup's been a lot easier. Why are these things so hard to find? (cheaper scrubbers don't drain as well and wind up smelling funky, plus they die an early death. Tuffys seem to last forever.)

Oh, you are terrible! I make myself scarce while they're around--I go to the gym while they clean. I hate being around and getting in the way.

I keep a squirt bottle of windex in the kitchen for clean up. Advancing age has produced a maniac in me about a clean kitchen. Ras, the very best advise here is to clean as you go. It's the only way to maintain acceptability. Also:
-Get some of those quilted covers for all of your counter appliances except for the toaster. Counter top appliances can look like a greasy junk yard and these handy dandy little covers neaten the aestethics and pop into the washer.
-Hang pots from the ceiling if you can (it reduces avalanches in the cupboards).
-Get a nice big piece of marble if you bake, and leave it out (schleping baking supplies makes every cook's head hurt).
-Get a magnificent heavy hand thrown pot from somewhere (it must be glorious). Put all your spatulas, wooden spoons, meat tenderizers, whisks etc. upright in the crock. They're convenient and instant when needed as well as nicely assembled.

I learned that the task of putting stuff away can stop me in tracks if there's risk of avalanche or drawers not closing, thus the added advise.

Clean as you go. Can't be said enough.

Wow, these are all great ideas, lmatchgrl. Thanks for the contributions. I have always wanted to hang pots from the ceiling, but don't see how in my current home. I want the marble slab, too. I was keeping my spatulas, whisks, etc. in a Pfalztgraf crockery jar, but I actually overstuffed it and it broke. Right now I am using one of my my mother in laws cast off ancient orange Tupperware cannisters, (the one without a lid, LOL). My husband laughs at my little economies like this but I was excited that I finally found a use for it. I would like to get something a little classier, though.

This is a great subject for a thread and the answers have all been helpful to me. Here are a few things I do to keep my kitchen neat and clean:
1. I use those little wipies to clean up small spills.
2. Mrs. Meyers' Counter Spray and other cleaning products smell delicious. Even if the kitchen is not perfect, it smells delightful. Mrs. Meyers cleaning products
3. Keep the kitchen counter as bare as possible to reduce the appearance of clutter.
4. I put all my kitchen utensils in one drawer. I recently went through this drawer and discarded lots of utensils I never used.
Good luck in your quest. I appreciate your asking about this.

I use Clorox CleanUp and Windex all the time in my kitchen. I used to use Scrubbing Bubbles, but I like the spray effect. With white countertops the Clorox CleanUP (which has bleach in it) is imperative.

In addition to all the wonderful advice, I line my casserole pans and even the broiler rack and pan with aluminum foil. To me there is nothing more depressing after a wonderful dinner than a crusted pan to wash.

Yes, that is great advice. If I could I would line the whole kitchen with aluminum foil, and crumble it up and throw it away when I'm done, LOL.

You're welcome!

I clean as I go because I can't stand a mess ... but ... I dislike cleaning. And I'm not a particularly "gifted" housekeeper. I try to keep things orderly but my order is somewhat sloppy, if that makes sense. I think it's a Libra thing but I could be wrong.

But my big question is: how do I keep my kitchen floor clean?

What system/products do you use?

I wipe/vaccum the floor several times a day sometimes and I have a 2 year old boy and a 5 year old boy who manage to "filth it up" in seconds. My two year old loves to throw food and drop crumbs and spill drinks. Ugh. And we have a fluffy black cat. The kitchen floor is rarely spotless. Is there a solution?

If I were in your shoes with two little boys dirtying my kitchen floor all the time I would buy a swiffer. When you get it home make sure the boys see you put it together and act like using it is a special privilege. Then after they make a mess let them clean the floor with the swiffer. They're easier to handle than a mop or broom and little children seem to love using them.

That's brilliant, Ilse !! Children should be given responsibilities they can handle ;-) and it gives Mom a break.

The "Tom Sawyer" technique... Brilliant, IlseM!

Thanks you two.
I'm glad I could make myself understood with my poor grammar.  

Ilse - that's a great idea. I actually have a Swiffer broom buried somewhere in the basement but need those cloths. I am thinking I'll buy another broom along with the cloths so both boys can "Swiff" the floors. My older son loves to clean and the younger one loves to imitate his brother so this should work beautifully. (I hope!! )

Thank you!

It ain't easy keeping a kitchen clean!


I also follow these two methods from clarestella.

The other thing mentioned to which I add my vote is clearing and wiping as you go along.

I think the biggest thing that helps me keep the kitchen clean is I don't use grease in cooking (except olive oil only to brown garlic or a tiny bit to cook eggs) and I never fry anything--and I'm one of those people who says "never say never!" That's how much I hate frying. Once when I still lived at home with my parents, an acquaintance wanted to cook us a "special" meal. For the one meal he used a quart and a half of oil to fry everything! After he left we were up till 3am airing out the kitchen, washing a mile-high pile of pots and pans and scrubbing the kitchen walls and ceiling. Ever since that time I have a horror of grease and I said never again!

It sure ain't easy, is it? Good tips here all around, many of which I already follow and many of which I hadn't thought of.

Here's food for thought, though (no pun intended, honest!) -- I was reading in a housekeeping book that focusing on kitchen cleanliness may not be as important as focusing on bathroom cleanliness, for obvious reasons.

And rasputin, I have Cheryl Mendelsohn's book, too, but if you held yourself to her standards you'd bound to get depressed. Did you know that she is a former lawyer who gave up being a lawyer because she found it more fulfilling to spend all her time keeping her house clean? I personally would not hold myself to that standard, though I do find her book interesting and very useful.

May be it says less about Mendelsohn and more about practicing the law in this country.

Maybe.... is that the way you see it?

I could see leaving a legal job to do volunteer work, to become a teacher, to raise your kids or take care of an elderly relative, to create art, but.......because you liked housecleaning so much you wanted to devote yourself full-time to it? Hey, to each his own, but I don't get it, frankly.

Not really. But maybe there's something left unsaid. . . . i.e. that she is really raising a family and decided to write
a book about housecleaning as she's working at home. And I believe she must have had genuine dissatisfaction in
her legal career to have found the other more 'fulfilling'. Are those her words, or a summation by you? Either way,
I think she's leaving things unsaid and letting the reader make their own judgment, and the implication does not
bode well for the 'law'.

Or maybe she just realized she was a lousy lawyer!

Seriously, have you looked at the book -- the first chapter is called "My Secret Life" where she has a very funny bit about being an "off and on" lawyer while at the same time leading a double, secret life....that of a passionate housecleaner. She characterizes it as a guilty little secret, and is very self-effacing about it, but still, she makes it clear that she thinks keeping a clean house is more important....to her.

I still question whether being a perfect, or even really good housekeeper, is something we want to encourage our daughters to aspire to to the exclusion of other things, that's all. Because anyone who has read this book will realize that, if you followed all of the suggestions there, you wouldn't be able to do anything else but clean.

[quote name='Cathleen56' date='Sep 28 2008, 07:08 PM' post='408098']
Or maybe she just realized she was a lousy lawyer!

Seriously, have you looked at the book -- the first chapter is called "My Secret Life" where she has a very funny bit about being an "off and on" lawyer while at the same time leading a double, secret life....that of a passionate housecleaner. She characterizes it as a guilty little secret, and is very self-effacing about it, but still, she makes it clear that she thinks keeping a clean house is more important....to her.>>>>>

No I haven't read the book. And I certainly don't disagree w/you about how we should be raising our daughters.

Maybe that first chapter is just her exercising 'creative license' in her writing. You know, makes it sound all so titillating, and allows her
a comedic riff. At any rate, she wrote a book. Maybe she's just taking a hiatus before her next career move. Maybe she's working on
a novel. Okay I'm done with this idle speculation. Her heart wasn't in it........

I do love Fabuloso in the GREEN. Smells great.